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According to one recent survey, nearly 30% of people have gone more than ten years without getting a hearing test. Sofia is one of them. She goes to her yearly doctor’s appointments, she visits a dentist every six months, and she gets the oil changed in her car every 3000 miles. But she can’t remember the last time she took a hearing exam or underwent any type of accurate hearing evaluation.
There are many reasons why it’s important to get hearing evaluations, the most prominent of which is that it’s normally difficult for you to notice the initial signs of hearing loss if you don’t get one. Sophia will be able to keep her hearing healthy for a lot longer by knowing how often to get her ears checked.
How Frequently Do You Need to Have a Hearing Test?
If the last time Sofia took a hearing test was ten years ago, we might be alarmed. Or we may think it’s perfectly normal. Depending on Sophia’s age, reactions could vary. This is because hearing professionals have different guidelines based on age.
- If you’re over fifty years old: The standard suggestion is that anyone above the age of fifty should have hearing checks yearly. Loss of hearing is more liable to affect your life as you grow older because noise damage starts to add up. There are also numerous other variables that can affect your hearing.
- It’s generally suggested that you take a hearing exam about every three years. Certainly, if you think you should have your ears checked more often, there is no harm. The bare minimum is every three years. You should certainly get tested more often if you spend a lot of time in a loud environment. It’s straightforward and painless and there’s truly no reason not to do it.
If you would like to have hearing examinations or tests more frequently, there’s certainly no harm in that, at least when it involves your hearing. Since the last time you had a hearing test, you might have new damage you should know about, so regular hearing exams could be helpful.
Signs You Should Get Your Hearing Checked
There are definitely other occasions besides your yearly hearing exam that you may want to make an appointment with your hearing specialist. For example, if you recognize signs of hearing loss. And in those cases, it’s often a good idea to promptly get in touch with a hearing professional and schedule a hearing test.
Some of the signs that might prompt you to get a hearing test could include:
- Your hearing is dull like there is water in your ears.
- Regularly asking people to repeat themselves or slow down during a conversation.
- Cranking your television or car stereo to extremely high volumes (if your neighbors begin to complain, that’s a good indication you should see a hearing specialist right away).
- When you’re in a loud environment, you have trouble hearing conversations.
- Having a very hard time comprehending people when talking on the phone, mobile or otherwise
- It’s normal for hearing loss in the high pitched register to fail first and since consonants are in a higher pitched register than vowels, they generally go first.
A good indication that right now is the best time to get a hearing exam is when the warning signs start to accumulate. You need to recognize what’s happening with your ears and that means getting a hearing test sooner rather than later.
Hearing Exams, What Are The Benefits?
Sophia may be late for her hearing exam for many reasons. Denial is a leading choice. Possibly thinking about it is something she is just avoiding. But getting your hearing examined on the recommended schedule has tangible advantages.
And it will be easier to detect hearing deviations in the future if you get your hearing examined by forming a baseline reading even if it seems as if everything is just fine. If you catch your hearing loss before it becomes noticeable, you’ll be able to protect it better.
That’s exactly why Sophia needs to go to her scheduled hearing exams before any permanent damage happens. Early detection by a hearing test can help your hearing stay healthy for a long time. Thinking about the effects of hearing loss on your general health, that’s essential. Contact us today!